Abigael Richford tells us about her experience as a Schools, Engagement and Widening Access Assistant so far.

What is your current role at the college?

I started working at Ayrshire College in March as a Schools, Engagement and Widening Access Assistant.

What does a typical day in your role involve?

It depends on the day and what team I’m working with. I work with the Schools team, the Communities team, the Marketing team and the HIVE,  so it’s different each day. Most of the time I work with the Prince’s Trust team in class and on trips, but I also work in marketing and do admin tasks for the other teams.

What have you enjoyed most about your role?

I like getting to work with all the different teams because it’s all great experience to have but I’ve enjoyed working with the Prince’s Trust the most because it’s the closest to the kind of job I would like to do in the future.

What has been the most challenging part of your role?

I think I’ve actually been quite lucky because there hasn’t really been anything I’ve struggled with too much. It took a few days to remind myself how to make spreadsheets and other admin tasks, but I managed to pick it back up quite quickly since I had already learned it in college.

Why did you choose this role and is the reality what you expected? 

I chose this role because I’ve always been interested in working with young people and want to make a positive impact in their lives as well as being able to gain more admin experience. Working with the Prince’s Trust team has been extremely rewarding and I’ve learned so much already.

What experience did you have before starting this role?

Before working at Ayrshire College, I worked as a play worker in an after-school club with younger children. While working there I would usually organise and plan out activities for the younger kids to do, as well as working in the office writing emails, letters and designing posters for trips.

How did your other courses help you prepare for this role?

The first college course I did at Ayrshire College was Administration with Medical which has helped a lot when I’m doing any admin tasks and working in marketing. After that I studied Health and Social Care which included units like Psychology, drug and alcohol abuse, mental health, stress management and Biology.

What do you like about working at Ayrshire College?

My favourite thing about my job at Ayrshire College is that there’s a lot of variety in what I do, everyday is something new and I get to work with a lot of different people in different areas which has taught me a lot. It’s also been a great opportunity to work with people doing the job that I would like to do eventually so I feel like it has prepared me for that.

What would you say to someone considering working at Ayrshire College?

I would advise them to apply. I’ve gained so much great experience since I started working here and it’s a very positive and inclusive environment, the staff are all friendly and extremely helpful.

What is next for you?

I would like to continue working at Ayrshire College as an Inclusive Learning Assistant or go to university to study Psychology or Social Services. Eventually I would like to be an Employability & Engagement Officer at Ayrshire College or a social worker for children and families.

View our HIVE prospectus to find out more about the courses we offer here: https://www1.ayrshire.ac.uk/media/9617/hive-prospectus-2021.pdf 

Apply to one of our HIVE courses here: https://www1.ayrshire.ac.uk/find-a-course/all-courses/the-hive/